Simulations of medical procedures are used in a variety of settings to train medical staff or to allow a surgeon to practice a procedure before performing it on a patient. For example, a simulation may provide graphical images of anatomic and physiologic models representing a patient or part of a patient. The displayed images of the models may then change during the procedure based on the movements and actions of the user. For example, as the user makes incisions and moves surgical tools within the patient, those actions are tracked, within the patient and result in changes to the simulated anatomy and physiology and thus a new image is presented to the user. By providing a responsive, high-quality simulated procedure, a user, such as a surgeon, may be able to practice the surgery in a realistic environment.
However, these simulations are typically extremely expensive and highly-customized by the supplier of the simulation. The computing hardware necessary to provide real-time simulated cause and effect actions as well as perform the calculations needed to accurately model the patient can be significant. Further, a user of the simulation cannot create and import customized patient data or alter existing simulation models, including adding pathologies or adjusting other characteristics, such as age or weight. Additionally, a user of the simulation cannot modify the simulation to incorporate customized messages or content to aid in the use of the simulation, such as training messages or signals.